Carb SANITY!

Carbs are the devil. No carbs after lunch. Carbs make me bloated. Carbs are responsible for the Cowboys losing 10 games last year. Cutting carbs is the end all, be all of dieting.  We have all heard the benefits or success stories of low carb diets but are they really the way to go? Is cutting carbs out an effective weight loss tool? Before we look into it further, let’s discuss what a carb really is and what function it serves in the body. Carbohydrates are your body's primary source for energy. They are comprised of sugars (simple carbs) and starches (complex carbs). Your body must break down carbs in order to turn them into glucose, commonly referred to as blood sugar, which we use for energy. The reason too many of the wrong kind of carbs aren't good for you is that your body can convert them into body fat to use (or not use) later. The key words being “WRONG KIND” of carb.  Now cutting out carbs completely and starving yourself is sure to net a nice weight loss but the long term effects can be very harmful. Instead of going super low carb lets look at going for better carbs. This will help keep your energy levels up and also help you obtain all the vital nutrients your body needs daily.

So which ones are the “good” carbs and which ones are the “bad”?  To determine this we can turn to Glycemic Index or GI. The Glycemic Index is a numerical scale used to indicate how fast and how high a particular food can raise our blood glucose (blood sugar) level. A food with a low GI will typically prompt a moderate rise in blood glucose, while a food with a high GI may cause our blood glucose level to increase above the optimal level. As we learned a few weeks ago from our hormone blog, this can be responsible for unwanted fat storage. If we could fill our diet with more of the low glycemic carbs we are more likely to lose weight, increase energy levels and overall well-being versus just cutting out carbs in general. The GI ranks its levels like this:

                                   

High Glycemic Index	70-100
Moderate Glycemic Index	50-69
Low Glycemic Index	<50

We want to find foods that fit into that sub 50 rating in order to keep blood sugar levels down and insulin (one of the hormones responsible for fat storage) regulated. Foods with a low glycemic index generally contain more nutrients and help stave off numerous diseases so this will have many good effects on the body, not just weight loss. Choosing the right carbs can be easy if we know what the GI rating is, so here is a list of common foods and their GI.

FOOD

GI

BREADS

Bagel	72
Kaiser roll	73
White bread	70
Whole wheat bread	69
Sourdough bread	52
Whole grain pumpernickel	46

CEREALS

Corn flakes	83
Rice Krispies	82
Grapenuts flakes	80
Total	76
Cheerios	74
Grapenuts	67
Oatmeal	61
Special K	54
All Bran	42

GRAINS

Instant rice	87
White rice	56
Brown rice	55
Bulgar	48
Converted rice	47
Barley	25

SNACKS

Rice cakes	82
Jelly beans	80
Soda crackers	74
Corn chips	72
Chocolate bar	68
Rye crisp bread	63
Power bar	57
Popcorn	55
Popcorn Potato chips	54
Peanuts	14

PASTA

Spaghetti	41
Whole wheat spaghetti	37

BEANS

Baked beans	48
Chickpeas	33
Cooked beans	29
Lentils	29
Soy beans	18

VEGETABLES

Baked potato	85
Beats	64
New potato	62
Sweet corn	55
Sweet Potato	54
Carrots	49
Green peas	48

FRUIT

Watermelon	72
Pineapple	66
Raisins	64
Mango	55
Orange Juice	52
Canned peaches	47
Orange	43
Unsweetened apple juice	41
Apple	36
Pear	36
Peach	28
Grapefruit	25

MILK AND YOGURT

Chocolate milk	34
Low fat fruit yogurt	33
Skim milk	32
Whole milk	27

SUGARS

Glucose	100
Sucrose	65
Honey	58
Fructose	43

                                                                                                                 

This is a basic chart so if you have any questions about certain foods feel free to contact me for specific info. So it’s actually the kind of carb that you eat not the amount (with restrictions) that will get you to your goal. Remember, we need carbs for energy; they should represent about 40-50% of our daily diet so don’t be afraid to pack them in EARLY in the day. You should notice immediate energy increases if you are sticking with lower glycemic alternatives, giving you everything you need to BRING IT at the gym!!!

Faulty Fat Burners

Ignite your metabolism! Torch your fat! Incinerate your appetite! With claims like these and names like “Shred Matrix”, “Abdominal Cuts”, and “Ripped Fuel”, it’s easy to see how people have made weight loss products the biggest seller on the supplement scene. But do they really work? Can they really do what they claim? We will dissect some of the main ingredients behind all of the body melting claims and pick out the ones that will truly give you a jump start on fat loss.

We have all been a victim to fancy wording and great product advertising but now it’s time to look past that and to what is in these products to help choose one that can actually benefit us. First, we need to decide what you want the fat burner to do. Is it extra energy you are looking for? Do you want it to suppress your appetite? Or maybe you need something that increases your metabolism to help you burn extra calories. Picking the goal will help narrow down the massive wall of choices at your local supp shop. Finding a single product that meets all of your needs will likely help you to see results faster. Most all weight loss products are stimulant based so you need to make sure of is that you are medically cleared to take them. Elevating the heart rate can be dangerous if certain medical conditions exist or if you are on medication. Now let’s look at some of the more popular ingredients found in these products.

1.       Caffeine- Probably the most common in all weight loss products, caffeine is used to increase energy levels. When leaning out it may become hard to maintain energy levels due to low calorie diets, products containing caffeine will help you power through your workout. Caffeine also breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Studies have shown that the conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise. Caffeine is found in many of the drinks we include in our daily lives so be careful not to overdo it or the effect with backfire; causing you to crash and lose all energy. Always start with the lowest dose of a product to test your tolerance.

2.       Green Tea- Research has shown green tea may help our bodies burn more calories, faster, which is why it's showing up in more and more fat loss formulas. Green Tea also works as an antioxidant, eliminating free radicals in the body. As with other stimulants, it has been shown to increase your resting metabolic rate, which we know is beneficial from previous blogs. Polyphenols are the key ingredient to look for when to choosing a good green tea product. Most tested dosages recommend one that is around 97% polyphenol concentrate.

3.       CLA- When leading CLA researcher Michael W. Pariza from the University of Wisconsin-Madison was asked, "How does CLA work?" he replied, "In a general sense, what it's doing is keeping little fat cells from getting big." What this means is that CLA is better not just for weight loss, but keeping fat gain under control. Using this product has been shown to change the way your body utilizes fat for energy rather than just storing it. All research shows that between 3.4-4 grams a day lead to the best results.

4.       5-HTP- Often overlooked as a weight loss product, 5-HTP has been recently reported to help curb sugar and carb cravings. It works by increasing serotonin, the hormone responsible for feeling happy and content, levels in the body. By upping these levels many studies have shown a reduction in appetite and a “get full faster” feeling. This may help trying to stick to low calorie restrictions or saying no to that little sweet snack staring at you in the cabinet.

5.       Chromium- Chromium is a mineral that plays an important role in our bodies' normal carbohydrate metabolism, the process of converting the foods we eat into sugars. Chromium aids insulin hormone by properly shuttling these sugars into cells to be stored as energy. This will help the body use these sugars as “reserved energy” versus storing them as fat. This product has many skeptics as a weight loss supplement, with studies being very inconsistent, so if using this for solely weight loss I wouldn’t expect the six pack to be visible immediately.

6.       7-KETO- 7-Keto is quite different from the previously mentioned ingredients. It works by helping increase the body's metabolic rate by way of the thyroid (T3) gland. Around age 25 your bodies’ metabolism begins to natural decrease no matter what we do, making it hard to keep unwanted weight off.  This is where 7-KETO can aid in fat loss by shifting the metabolic rate, so the body is able to increase fat metabolism, even while resting. Research supports this product greatly but only at almost twice the normal recommended dose of 50 mg a day, so you might have to play with the serving sizes.

This is just a quick explanation of a select few of the ingredients to look for when choosing a weight loss supplement and in no way should be taken as a diagnosis to lose weight. Once again, always check with your health professional before taking any kind of new supplement. Using a product with a combination of these ingredients will most likely yield the best results but don’t think for a minute that any product on the market will replace hard work and a good diet. These products, despite their claims, are simply aids in increasing energy, decreasing fat storage, and boosting your metabolism. There still is no “miracle pill” that is going to melt your body down to a size 0 in just a few short weeks without diet and exercise. There are obviously 1000’s of other ingredients in fat burners so feel free to contact me about any specific one you have questions about or if you would like more info on the mentioned ones. It is always easier to set expectations and know what to look for in a product if you know what the things in it do. Check your labels, stop believing everything you see on the box until you do your own research, and don’t forget nothing comes without hard work so BRING IT!!!